The MIP Timing Detector will provide additional timing capabilities for detection of minimum ionizing particles (MIPs) at CMS during the High Luminosity LHC era, improving event reconstruction and pileup rejection. The central portion of the detector, the Barrel Timing Layer (BTL), will be instrumented with LYSO:Ce crystals and Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) providing a time resolution of about 30 ps at the beginning of operation, and degrading to 50-60 ps at the end of the detector lifetime as a result of radiation damage. In this work, we present the results obtained using a 120 GeV proton beam at the Fermilab Test Beam Facility to measure the time resolution of unirradiated sensors. A proof-of-concept of the sensor layout proposed for the barrel region of the MTD, consisting of elongated crystal bars with dimensions of about 3 x 3 x 57 mm^3 and with double-ended SiPM readout, is demonstrated. This design provides a robust time measurement independent of the impact point of the MIP along the crystal bar. We tested LYSO:Ce bars of different thickness (2, 3, 4 mm) with a geometry close to the reference design and coupled to SiPMs manufactured by Hamamatsu and Fondazione Bruno Kessler. The various aspects influencing the timing performance such as the crystal thickness, properties of the SiPMs (e.g. photon detection efficiency), and impact angle of the MIP are studied. A time resolution of about 28 ps is measured for MIPs crossing a 3 mm thick crystal bar, corresponding to an MPV energy deposition of 2.6 MeV, and of 22 ps for the 4.2 MeV MPV energy deposition expected in the BTL, matching the detector performance target for unirradiated devices.

A search is conducted for a low-mass charged Higgs boson produced in a top quark decay and subsequently decaying into a charm and a strange quark. The data sample was recorded in proton-proton collisions at s=13  TeV by the CMS experiment at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 35.9  fb-1. The search is performed in the process of top quark pair production, where one top quark decays to a bottom quark and a charged Higgs boson and the other to a bottom quark and a W boson. With the W boson decaying to a charged lepton (electron or muon) and a neutrino, the final state comprises an isolated lepton, missing transverse momentum, and at least four jets, of which two are tagged as b jets. To enhance the search sensitivity, one of the jets originating from the charged Higgs boson is required to satisfy a charm tagging selection. No significant excess beyond standard model predictions is found in the dijet invariant mass distribution. An upper limit in the range 1.68%–0.25% is set on the branching fraction of the top quark decay to the charged Higgs boson and bottom quark for a charged Higgs boson mass between 80 and 160 GeV.

A search is conducted for a low-mass charged Higgs boson produced in a top quark decay and subsequently decaying into a charm and a strange quark. The data sample was recorded in proton-proton collisions at $\\sqrt{s}=$ 13 TeV by the CMS experiment at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. The search is performed in the process of top quark pair production, where one top quark decays to a bottom quark and a charged Higgs boson, and the other to a bottom quark and a W boson. With the W boson decaying to a charged lepton (electron or muon) and a neutrino, the final state comprises an isolated lepton, missing transverse momentum, and at least four jets, of which two are tagged as b jets. To enhance the search sensitivity, one of the jets originating from the charged Higgs boson is required to satisfy a charm tagging selection. No significant excess beyond standard model predictions is found in the dijet invariant mass distribution. An upper limit in the range 1.68-0.25% is set on the branching fraction of the top quark decay to the charged Higgs boson and bottom quark for a charged Higgs boson mass between 80 and 160 GeV.

Meningoencephalitis of unknown origin (MUO) is a common inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. Several studies investigated finding prognostic factors, but results are contradictory. The aim of this study was to determine the concentrations of blood lactate (Blood-L) and cerebrospinal fluid lactate (CSF-L) in dogs with MUO for prognostic purposes. A total of 45 dogs with MUO (MUO group) and 11 with idiopathic epilepsy (IE group) were included. In the MUO group, 22 dogs were treated with prednisolone + cytosine arabinoside, 17 with prednisolone +/- cyclosporine, and six received no treatment. In the MUO group, there was a strong-moderate positive correlation between Blood-L and CSF-L (rho = 0.63557; P < 0.0001), a strong-moderate negative correlation between survival and CSF-L (rho = -0.50210; P < 0.0004), and a weak negative correlation between survival and Blood-L (rho = -0.35685; P < 0.0220). Dogs with a favourable response to treatment at 1 month had lower initial concentrations of Blood-L and CSF-L (P < 0.0010; P < 0.0037), and those with a worse response had higher values (P < 0.0497; P < 0.0004). Dogs that remained stable with treatment showed lower CSF-L concentrations (P < 0.0013). Dogs with Blood-L>4 mmol/L (P < 0.03) and/or CSF-L> 4 mmol/L (P < 0.009) had lower survival rates with the latter also showing more severe signs, probably indicating severe neuronal damage. These findings suggest that concentrations of CSF-L and Blood-L in dogs with MUO could be used as prognostic indicators. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Charged-particle production was studied in proton–proton collisions collected at the LHC with the ALICE detector at centre-of-mass energies 0.9 TeV and 2.36 TeV in the pseudorapidity range |η| < 1.4. In the central region (|η| < 0.5), at 0.9 TeV, we measure charged-particle pseudorapidity density dNch/dη = 3.02 ± 0.01(stat.) −0.05(syst.) for inelastic interactions, and dNch/dη = 3.58 ± 0.01(stat.) −0.12(syst.) for non-single-diffractive interactions. At 2.36 TeV, we find dNch/dη = 3.77 ± 0.01(stat.) −0.12(syst.) for inelastic, and dNch/dη = 4.43 ± 0.01(stat.) −0.12(syst.) for non-singlediffractive collisions. The relative increase in charged-particle multiplicity from the lower to higher energy is 24.7% ± 0.5%(stat.) −2.8%(syst.) for inelastic and 23.7% ± 0.5%(stat.) −1.1%(syst.) for nonsingle-diffractive interactions. This increase is consistent with that reported by the CMS collaboration for non-single-diffractive events and larger than that found by a number of commonly used models. The multiplicity distribution was measured in different pseudorapidity intervals and studied in terms of KNO variables at both energies. The results are compared to proton–antiproton data and to model

The production of π +, π −, K+, K−, p, and \(\overline{\mathrm{p}}\) at mid-rapidity has been measured in proton-proton collisions at \(\sqrt{s} = 900~\mathrm{GeV}\) with the ALICE detector. Particle identification is performed using the specific energy loss in the inner tracking silicon detector and the time projection chamber. In addition, time-of-flight information is used to identify hadrons at higher momenta. Finally, the distinctive kink topology of the weak decay of charged kaons is used for an alternative measurement of the kaon transverse momentum (p t) spectra. Since these various particle identification tools give the best separation capabilities over different momentum ranges, the results are combined to extract spectra from p t=100 MeV/c to 2.5 GeV/c. The measured spectra are further compared with QCD-inspired models which yield a poor description. The total yields and the mean p t are compared with previous measurements, and the trends as a function of collision energy are discussed.

This paper gives a detailed description of the acquisition and trigger electronics especially designed for the V0 detector of ALICE at LHC. A short presentation of the detector itself is given before the description of the Front End Electronics (FEE) system, which is completely embedded within the LHC environment as far as acquisition (DAQ), trigger (CTP), and detector control (DCS) are concerned. It is able to detect on-line coincident events and to achieve charge (with a precision of 0.6 pC) and time measurements (with a precision of 100ps). It deploys quite a simple architecture. It is however totally programmable and fully non-standard in discriminating events coming from Beam–Beam interaction and Beam-Gas background. Finally, raw data collected from the first LHC colliding beams illustrate the performance of the system.

The pseudorapidity density and multiplicity distribution of charged particles produced in proton–proton collisions at the LHC, at a centre-of-mass energy \(\sqrt{s}=7\) TeV, were measured in the central pseudorapidity region |η|<1. Comparisons are made with previous measurements at \(\sqrt{s}=0.9\) TeV and 2.36 TeV. At \(\sqrt{s}=7\) TeV, for events with at least one charged particle in |η|<1, we obtain \(\mathrm{d}N_{\mathrm{ch}}/\mathrm{d}\eta=6.01\pm0.01(\mathrm {stat.})^{+0.20}_{-0.12}(\mathrm{syst.})\). This corresponds to an increase of \(57.6\%\pm0.4\%(\mathrm{stat.})^{+3.6}_{-1.8}\%(\mathrm{syst.})\) relative to collisions at 0.9 TeV, significantly higher than calculations from commonly used models. The multiplicity distribution at 7 TeV is described fairly well by the negative binomial distribution.

On 23rd November 2009, during the early commissioning of the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC), two counter-rotating proton bunches were circulated for the first time concurrently in the machine, at the LHC injection energy of 450 GeV per beam. Although the proton intensity was very low, with only one pilot bunch per beam, and no systematic attempt was made to optimize the collision optics, all LHC experiments reported a number of collision candidates. In the ALICE experiment, the collision region was centred very well in both the longitudinal and transverse directions and 284 events were recorded in coincidence with the two passing proton bunches. The events were immediately reconstructed and analyzed both online and offline. We have used these events to measure the pseudorapidity density of charged primary particles in the central region. In the range |η|<0.5, we obtain dN ch/dη=3.10±0.13(stat.)±0.22(syst.) for all inelastic interactions, and dN ch/dη=3.51±0.15(stat.)±0.25(syst.) for non-single diffractive interactions. These results are consistent with previous measurements in proton–antiproton interactions at the same centre-of-mass energy at the CERN Sp\(\overline{\mathrm{p}}\)S collider. They also illustrate the excellent functioning and rapid progress of the LHC accelerator, and of both the hardware and software of the ALICE experiment, in this early start-up phase.

We report on the measurement of two-pion correlation functions from pp collisions at {radical}(s)=900 GeV performed by the ALICE experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. Our analysis shows an increase of the Hanbury Brown-Twiss radius with increasing event multiplicity, in line with other measurements done in particle- and nuclear collisions. Conversely, the strong decrease of the radius with increasing transverse momentum, as observed at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and at Tevatron, is not manifest in our data.

The ratio of the yields of antiprotons to protons in pp collisions has been measured by the ALICE experiment at sqrt[s]=0.9 and 7 TeV during the initial running periods of the Large Hadron Collider. The measurement covers the transverse momentum interval 0.45<p_{t}<1.05  GeV/c and rapidity |y|<0.5. The ratio is measured to be R_{|y|<0.5}=0.957±0.006(stat)±0.014(syst) at 0.9 TeV and R_{|y|<0.5}=0.991±0.005(stat)±0.014(syst) at 7 TeV and it is independent of both rapidity and transverse momentum. The results are consistent with the conventional model of baryon-number transport and set stringent limits on any additional contributions to baryon-number transfer over very large rapidity intervals in pp collisions.

Charged-particle production was studied in proton–proton collisions collected at the LHC with the ALICE detector at centre-of-mass energies 0.9 TeV and 2.36 TeV in the pseudorapidity range |η|<1.4. In the central region (|η|<0.5), at 0.9 TeV, we measure charged-particle pseudorapidity density \(\mathrm{d}N_{\mathrm{ch}}/\mathrm{d}\eta=3.02\pm 0.01(\mathit{stat.})^{+0.08}_{-0.05}(\mathit{syst.})\) for inelastic interactions, and \(\mathrm{d}N_{\mathrm{ch}}/\mathrm{d}\eta=3.58\pm0.01(\mathit{stat.})^{+0.12}_{-0.12}(\mathit{syst.})\) for non-single-diffractive interactions. At 2.36 TeV, we find \(\mathrm{d}N_{\mathrm{ch}}/\mathrm{d}\eta=3.77\pm0.01(\mathit{stat.})^{+0.25}_{-0.12}(\mathit{syst.})\) for inelastic, and \(\mathrm{d}N_{\mathrm{ch}}/\mathrm{d}\eta=4.43\pm0.01(\mathit{stat.})^{+0.17}_{-0.12}(\mathit{syst.})\) for non-single-diffractive collisions. The relative increase in charged-particle multiplicity from the lower to higher energy is \(24.7\%\pm0.5\%(\mathit{stat.})^{+5.7}_{-2.8}\%(\mathit{syst.})\) for inelastic and \(23.7\%\pm0.5\%(\mathit{stat.})^{+4.6}_{-1.1}\%(\mathit{syst.})\) for non-single-diffractive interactions. This increase is consistent with that reported by the CMS collaboration for non-single-diffractive events and larger than that found by a number of commonly used models. The multiplicity distribution was measured in different pseudorapidity intervals and studied in terms of KNO variables at both energies. The results are compared to proton–antiproton data and to model predictions.

We present a measurement of semi-inclusive spin asymmetries for positively and negatively charged hadrons from deep inelastic scattering of polarised muons on polarised protons and deuterons in the range 0.003 < x < 0.7. From these asymmetries and the previously published inclusive spin asymmetries we determine, for the first time, the x-dependent spin distributions for up and down valence quarks and for non-strange sea quarks. We find that the first moments of the valence quark spin distributions are Δuv = 1.01 ± 0.19 ± 0.14 and Δdv = −0.57 ± 0.22 ± 0.11. The spin distribution function of non-strange sea quarks is consistent with zero over the measured range of x and the first moment is Δu = Δd = −0.02 ± 0.09 ± 0.03.

A large acceptance and high luminosity measurement of identiied hadrons from deep inelastic scattering of polarised muons from a polarised solid state target is proposed. The gluon polarisation G=G will be determined with a precision of ((G=G) = 0:15 from the measured asymmetries of open charm production from a longitudinally po-larised target. The spin dependent quark distribution functions u v ; d v , u and d and their integrals will be obtained with high accuracy. The measurement of the longitudinal polarisation of and , in both, target and current fragmentation regions, will test current models for the explanation of the spin content of the nucleon and measure, for the rst time, the spin transfer in fragmentation. With a transversely polarised target a rst measurement of the spin dependent hadron azimuthal asymmetries can be performed. These asymmetries depend on the hitherto unmeasured twist-2 distribution functions T q of transverse spin and the Collins asymmetries in fragmentation. Transverse polarisation of = in the current fragmentation region also depends on T q and transverse spin transfer in fragmentation. The present measurement of g 2 will also be improved. This programme could be completed in a four year measurement (assuming current SPS performance) with a proportion of three to one for the running time with longitudinally and transversely polarised targets.

We measured the spin asymmetry in the scattering of 100 GeV longitudinally-polarized muons on transversely polarized protons. The asymmetry was found to be compatible with zero in the kinematic range 0.006 < x < 0.6, 1 < Q(2) < 30 GeV2 From this result we derive the upper limits for the virtual photon-proton asymmetry A(2), and for the spin structure function g(2) For x < 0.15, A(2) is significantly smaller than its positivity limit root R.